'Tomorrow People': Mark Pellegrino on Jedikiah's Motives and Tension With John

The CW

Mark Pellegrino in "The Tomorrow People"

Wednesday's episode, "Thanatos," dives deeper into Jedikiah and John's past history, with Pellegrino hinting: "You start to see that the compartmentalization you thought [Jedikiah] could do so well, he can't do so well."

There may be more to Jedikiah than meets the eye on The Tomorrow People.

In Wednesday's episode, "Thanatos," Stephen (Robbie Amell) hatches a plan to unearth information for what he believes will be key to finding out the whereabouts of his father Jack (Jeffrey Pierce), the savior of the Tomorrow People. The plan that he and the others concoct includes getting inside Jedikiah's (Mark Pellegrino) head.

"Jedikiah is becoming a very surprising and very complicated character," Pellegrino tells The Hollywood Reporter, admitting that even he is shocked by the turn of events The CW drama has taken thus far. But things start to get hairy for Jedikiah and the Tomorrow People when the original plan starts to unravel.

In a chat with THR, Pellegrino discusses Jedikiah romancing the enemy, his strained relationship with John and whether Jedikiah really isn't as bad as he seems.

Jedikiah cavorting with the enemy in Morgan (Carly Pope), a part of the Tomorrow People species he wishes to eradicate, certainly has its complications. Should we expect murky waters ahead?

As a politician, as somebody who carries the party line that the Tomorrow People need to be eliminated, it's a very difficult thing. He's blackmail-able. All the other forces that are lined up at Ultra -- and they're not all for Jedikiah -- could use that as a tool to ruin him. There's a part of me that believes that he's a true believer and he does believe that the species of the Tomorrow People has evolved to take them out basically. The superior species beats the inferior species, but things are so complicated at Ultra. I'm not sure that what he's thinking or saying is exactly what he's thinking or saying.

How much danger is Morgan in?

She's in a great deal of danger and it forces Jedikiah's hand in some ways to do something you'll find interesting. It adds another wrinkle. (Laughs.) A lot of wrinkles on this show. Jedikiah does something in episode nine that is a little bizarre, a little scary, but it's all for effect. I'm interested in seeing where the link goes because it makes me think there is a technique in hiding your inner self from a telepath and Jedikiah knows what that is. Maybe there's a reason why Jedikiah is so elusive.

Does Jedikiah wrestle with his positioning at Ultra?

You start to see that the compartmentalization you thought he could do so well, he can't do so well. The strong, cold exterior will crack, but in part because he's got a lot of balls that he's juggling and it's hard to keep track of them all. He's lived with a telepath -- his brother is a telapath -- so he knows how to negotiate that territory of mind sweeps. That's why I said who knows what he's thinking or saying.

Jedikiah's relationship with John (Luke Mitchell) has been interesting to chart over the course of the young season and this week's episode furthers their history. What can you tease in terms of their dynamic?

You find out that Jedikiah's dealings are maybe not just a sham or a ruse or manipulating a kid to do what he wants him to do, but that he's genuine and that he's connected to him as a father to his son. I think he sees the emotional bond between us being very deep, to the point where John can't kill Jedikiah.

Is there a part ofJedikiah that wishes things were different between him and John, and that things aren't as complicated and gray as they are now?

I think so. It's difficult for any father whose son rejects their values. He brings him up with a certain world view and John rejects that world view and has nothing but contempt for a person who really put himself on the line and sacrificed. You find out in a later episode that Jedikiah stands in the gap between John and the powers that be. They're in some tough situations later on. It's very painful; I think Jedikiah does wish things were different with him and John in particular, but probably overall. It's not much of a life to be devoted to a cause where you give up everything, including love, for it.

The Tomorrow People are on a mission to find Stephen's father, who they believe will be their savior. How successful are they in accomplishing that goal?

There are wrinkles that happen in the next episode that make finding the dad very, very difficult -- if not, an impossible task. Maybe not impossible, but very, very difficult. And in a place like Ultra where everybody's vying for position and everybody's deceiving everybody else. It's hard to know what's true and what isn't true. At one point Jedikiah says, "I've never lied to you Stephen." He has and there may be a good reason for that. Telepaths can get into your brain and they can feel what you feel and can experience what you experience. You see that angle developing -- this intrusive agency that has the power to sweep your brain out. Lies become a matter of course and an everyday thing to protect yourself. What's happened to Stephen's father, you start to see a little more of that in [episodes] 13 and 14, and you see that it's not all that I say it is and why Jedikiah is concealing information and why Jedikiah is doing the things he's doing is part personal and part wider-vision stuff. Stephen is getting closer [to the truth about his father] but he's still far away, in part because of Jedikiah.

Is Jedikiah ultimately a good guy?

That’s the problem that he’s immersed in: [He’s] doing bad for something that’s ultimately good. It’s complicated because the animus behind it is also conflicted. The cause is the excuse to act out some very deep internal issues. The belief confirms the inner sense and I think there’s a deep inner sense that fuels Jedikiah’s philosophy of these divergent species. He’s got a lot of personal conflicts with his brother. I think he’s torn between love and envy. I think there’s a lot of stuff going there that makes him do some of the things that he does.

What was it like having Jedikiah in his own digs and not at Ultra or Stephen's place?

The place was a $10,000-a-night suite at the Fairmount Hotel, so you can imagine ... It had a zen pool, a little island grotto and it was quite great. Russell's (Aaron Yoo) response when he walks into Jedikiah's house is: "Why do bad guys always have such cool things?" It was nice to be somewhere else. I liked those touches. I liked seeing Morgan's house and being outside of the realm that you normally see Jedikiah in, because that gives more feeling to a character who has to be a certain way to work. I want to see what he's like behind the scenes.

Ultra is hot on the Tomorrow People's heels as they get closer and closer to finding the location of their headquarters. How close does Ultra get?

They come dangerously close and with the founder looming around, I'm sure there is a great deal of jeopardy.